The Fear You Won't Fall
by unrequitedexistence
Summary: Cora was the one to enact the curse to keep her daughter from killing her and her people from starting a riot over Henry's death, their beloved King. Now, ten or so years later, Henry comes to Storybrooke looking for his father, Neal. Instead, he finds Neal's half sister, Regina, the Mayor. There's both a Swan and a snow storm heading to town. AU. SQ.


I haven't written anything in ages, so I am SORRY if this sounds completely stupid. It was just an idea I had... it's supposed to have multiple chapters, if you think it worth it. I apologize for any mistakes and/or typos, English is not my first language and has become rather rusty.

I own nothing.

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An unexpected knock.

That could be the beginning of a thousand different tales, or more. Unless you can see into the future or through things, you will not know who lurks behind your door till you actually open it. Is it bad news? They are believed to travel fast. Would there only be a knock, if that were the case? Perhaps not. Good news? Mmh, would there only be a knock, also? Wouldn't enthusiasm lead to a ballad of knocks followed by possible words to rush whoever was the destiny of such news? Perhaps a delivery then? That could definitely be it. Yet, this is not a common door we are speaking about. This is Mr. Gold's door, and he simply doesn't order anything, he is not foolish to the point of believing that anyone would gladly deliver anything to his door. Even with Belle living with him, usually there would be a call to make sure that he was not in. But there had not been a call.

Rather intriguing, wouldn't you say? Who waits behind the door? Who has chosen the coldest winter day to drag you from the sofa that keeps you so deliciously close to the fireplace? Who has traded the warmth of a house for your far from welcoming frozen porch?

"Baelfire?"

Ah, now that was beyond unexpected. They hadn't heard from him in ages, and last time they had been together he looked slightly… older? Belle was about to take a deep breath and start her you-should-have-stayed-away-from-Neverland-like-we -told-you-to speech when something caught her eye. Innocence. As white and as pure as the snow that now covered the streets of Storybrooke.

"Good evening, Miss. My name is Henry Swan and I am here looking for my father."

The first thing she noticed was that the boy was not asking if she knew who his father was, he seemed sure of the address and was simply expecting his father to be there for that was where he was supposed to be. If only he knew how much she wished that were true. Neal had left after having quite an argument with his father. They had been discussing the future and Baelfire had shared his wish to return to Neverland for something he had left behind. She could still picture the look on Gold's face as if it had been just yesterday. He had gone frigid, dismissing his son with a simple _whatever you say, dearie. _The amount of tension in the room had been scary, but then, with that simple statement, it just dissipated completely, giving away its place to mutual disappointment. Not their greatest moment, she had to admit. To be honest, their relationship had never been easy. They always seemed to take pleasure in blaming one another for the stupidest things. Still, that one day, that one moment in which Neal left without looking back, that had been the first time she had seen pain written all over Gold's face for more than just a simple second. He just wasn't able to put a mask over it. He just stood there, and then left to their room. When she thought it was safe enough to follow him, she found him sitting on a chair turned towards the window that showed the city's clock, a mirror lying broken at his feet. Even Gold's heart got broken at times.

"Oh my goodness… do come in, you must be freezing!" Belle opened the door wider so that the boy could walk in. She led him into the living room and offered him a place to sit by the fireplace. Had Baelfire ever mentioned a son? She was sure he hadn't. But then again, would he ever let his father know? He was probably afraid that Gold would try to have the boy stay with him. There had to be a mother, though. Where was she? The sound of the clock reminding her that she had 15 minutes till Gold found his way home brought her back to reality.

If they had been back at the Enchanted Forest she would be sure that this was another one of Cora's cruel jokes, but Cora had been keeping her distance ever since she had enacted the curse to avoid Regina from killing her. Oh yes, the moment the girl had found that Cora had ripped her father's heart from his chest, the girl, who had been learning how to control her magic, went ballistic on her mother and almost succeeded on ending her life. Luckily, Henry's heart had been the last thing she needed to completely the curse. Cora was then able to send everyone over so that she could rule in peace. The memories from that time were still a bit… foggy, but a few people were starting to remember. That only left Regina with magic, and she was sure that, even though the girl didn't get along that well with Gold, she still respected Belle and she was sure she would never play such trick. That was why she, after giving a glass of juice to the child, grabbed the phone and called Regina.

"Please, pick up. I need you." She mumbled into the phone and she watched the young boy eyeing the family photographs that stood over the fireplace.

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Winter had always been her favorite season. No matter how many layers of clothing she found herself wearing, the coldness still seemed able to creep over her. Like a kiss being secretly placed upon the root of her neck, it made her shiver, it gave her goose bumps. Suddenly the usual becomes the extraordinary. Almost like a call, like an awakening to a reality of blues and grays and whites that glow like stars. And then comes the warmth of the awareness that even the most ordinary thing is a gift to be thankful for. And then she can't help herself any longer... she just simply smiles. Does anyone feel the same, she wonders. There's hope, at least.

Regina was making her special lasagna. It was ladies' night in, meaning that Ruby and Mary Margaret were coming over to watch a movie. Since she had become Mayor, she didn't have much time to be social, so they did this every two weeks to avoid losing touch. Best friends? Well, Ruby had always been a friend. They had actually sort of grown up together as, after quite a controversial adoption, Regina had gone rather rebel on the world, finding in Red her perfect partner in crime. Mary Margaret? Well, she had just joined them at some point. When exactly? She wasn't really sure. Some things about the past just seemed a bit confusing and so she rarely paid them any attention whatsoever. There just wasn't enough time to dwell on half forgotten memories. The present required everything she had. Speaking of which...

Suddenly Chopin filled the room. She raised an eyebrow before rolling her eyes. It was her ringtone for Gold, for _father_. Yes, he had been a _dear_ to take her in, but she knew him too well, she could see his darkness as it travelled through his veins. She was so glad that her so called mother had had the decency of leaving her a house for her to live on her own. Why wasn't she around, anyway? Now that was another thing she wasn't sure of. She had tried to confront Gold about it but he had simply dismissed her and given her the job as Mayor of Storybrooke. And ever since she had gotten it, she didn't really have much time for anything else. She was always in meetings, always moving from one place to another, always trying to stay calm so that she could deal with the ones that kept saying that Gold was the one running the town through her. She would smile at the thought for she was sure that by now Gold already regretted giving it to her, but there were times when there would be way too many unpleasant comments that just drove her absolutely insane. She felt _it_ inside of her. _Anger_.

She was glad that Ruby and Mary Margaret were there for her. And Granny. Granny had become like a mother to her, saying that she owed her a lot for keeping Ruby in place. If only that were true. The phone rang yet again and interrupted her line of thought.

"What?"

"Regina? It's Belle. We have a problem. You think you can come down for just a moment?"

Regina was instantly worried. Belle only called when she found herself in trouble for she knew how much Regina preferred to stay away from Gold.

"Has he hurt you?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that. But I fear he is not going to be very happy when he sees who has just arrived."

"Mmmmmh?" Since when did Belle spoke in half words?

"Just please come, will you? It will only take a moment, I promise. I know it's your day off, but…"

"Say no more, I am on my way."

Regina put a long coat over her pajamas and put her UGGs on before grabbing her keys. As she walked out of the house and towards the car she called Ruby.

"You are not cancelling on us again, are you?"

"Well, hello to you too, Red. I am good, thank you, how are you?"

She could feel the other woman rolling her eyes.

"What happened this time?"

"I am not cancelling, I am just going to Gold's. Belle called."

"Is she okay?"

"She says she is, but I am going to check anyway. She said it would only take a moment, so… Just let yourself in, okay? The lasagna is in the oven, the wine in the fridge, and will you please start the fireplace?"

"Fine. You better hurry or we will start without you. Text me as soon as you hear from Belle. When she calls, it's usually not good news. See you. _Soon_."

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"Baelfire?" Regina asked as she walked into the living room, finding a child sitting by Belle's side.

"This is not Baelfire, Regina, this is his son, Henry. I know, it's pretty confusing, but I need you to take him with you. Rumple is about to come home and I must tell him, calmly. I would prefer if Henry wasn't here. Will you take him with you?"

Regina was speechless. Neal had a son? When had that happened? From the looks of it, the boy was about 10 years old. Why was he suddenly here? And why was he alone? She shook her head slightly, trying to regain focus.

"Hi, I am Henry Swan. I guess you are my aunt?"

Regina couldn't help but sigh.

"Oh dear, it's a bit more complicated than that, but yes, I think aunt will work."

Regina looked down as the boy walked to her and reached for her hand, taking it in his, as if that was something they did often.

"Get him to call his mother, yes? She must be worried."

Another sigh.

"Do call me once you're done with _him_, okay?" Regina told Belle before smiling back at the woman who had willingly chosen to live with Gold. Another thing she would never understand. "Let's go, dear, let's have some lasagna."

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Emma Swan got into her car and allowed her body to rest against the comfortable seat. She took a deep breath before taking off her high heels and putting on her boots. Finally a moment of peace. She reached for her phone and stared at the digital clock for a moment. 9 PM. She had told the babysitter that she would be back before 7 PM. She was in deep trouble. She would certainly have to pay extra and explain to the babysitter's parents why their darling daughter had missed her curfew. Now that was going to be interesting. There was no way in hell she was going to tell them about her job. She could already see the looks on their faces... disapproval, disappointment... the looks she had gotten her entire life. She was so familiar with them and yet the pain they caused still affected her. Apparently one can truly never run away from the past.

She rolled her eyes at the thought. And that was exactly when her phone started ringing. And guess what? Her past was the one calling. _Neal._ How was that even possible? She had no idea. He had disappeared before she even had the chance to gain the courage to tell him that she was pregnant. He had left her behind in jail. All alone. Not that she wasn't already used to that reality, but she had always been proud of her freedom, she had always been able to deal with _all of it_ because of her freedom. It somehow had always made it worth it. No matter what happened, she knew she could always turn around and go left instead of right. She had the power to choose, and he had allowed _them_ to take it away from her. And worse, he had run instead of helping her get through it. What was he doing now, ten or so years later, calling her? He shouldn't. He didn't have the right to bring it all back. But still, she found herself picking up.

"Neal?"

And worse, she found herself saying the first words. How easy it is to put back on old shoes from long walks.

"Neal...?" Regina raised an eyebrow before moving the phone away from her ear for a moment to check if the number Henry had given her had already been on her contacts list. Why was she even surprised to see that it had? Neal used to constantly ask her to make a call when they saw each other for more than 5 minutes. There was always urgency when they met, even if there always ended up being time for him to tell her all about his life and his worries and his passions. "Oh no, it's Regina, his... _sister_?" Regina wasn't sure why, but she suddenly felt like was getting herself into a huge mess. She hoped not, even though she was absolutely sure she was.

"Sister?" Emma closed her eyes for a second as she tried to come to terms with the idea that it wasn't Neal after all. She wasn't sure whether she felt relived or disappointed. Now, why was his sister calling her? How did she even get her number? "I am sorry to have to ask you this but, how did you get my number? I don't think Neal ever mentioned a sister..." To be quite honest, Neal had never mentioned a family. She had just thought him to be a foster child as well, one that, just like her, had left behind the acceptance and the sorry-but-we-have-found-a-better-child-to-adopt speeches. She hadn't ever asked, actually.

"Well, apparently it was already on my phone as _Neal's_, but your son gave it to me." Of course he hadn't talked about her. If he started mentioning a sister, the other woman would probably start asking questions about the rest of the family and well... it's not easy to talk about Gold and his relationship with Belle is everything but common. It is all just so unbearably complicated.

"Henry?" Emma felt her heart skip a beat. "Are you in Boston?" A thousand ideas crossed her mind and none were very uplifting or optimistic. Had Regina come for her son? Why would she? It just didn't make any sense. "How did you find us?"

"Do calm down, dear." Regina felt the other woman's nervousness. Now that she thought about it, the whole situation did seem rather odd and weird and... creepy. "I am in Storybrooke, Maine, and your son is here with me. He took the bus?" Henry nodded and she decided to carry on before the other woman started freaking out on her without hearing the whole story. "He's fine, he was just looking for Neal."

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I would have driven him back myself, but there's a snow storm coming, I just can't get out of town right now." Regina added quickly. "I also don't believe that a bus is the right answer? He's just a boy, and only God knows what these drivers are ready to deal with. Snow storms are pretty... but also pretty fatal to those not used to them."

"Lady, I don't even know if you are who you say you are. I just know you have my son. And even that isn't 100% certain to me right now." Emma started. "How does one deal with this?" She found herself letting out that thought. "I just... can I talk to Henry? I... need to be sure. Why... Is Neal there?"

"I am afraid he isn't." Regina sighed. "Neal left a few months ago... I don't know where he went exactly, he had been arguing with his father and... that's never a good thing." She looked at Henry who sat contently between Mary Margaret and Ruby on the sofa across from her. A smile took over her face. He already looked so much at home... that was so _Neal-ish_. She sighed yet again before focusing her attention back on the woman on the other side of the line. As an answer to the other questions, she turned on the back camera of her phone. "Can you see him?"

Emma couldn't help but smile at the sight of her son who happened to look way more than just fine. He looked... _happy_. She missed him. Yes, she had seen him this morning, she had kissed his forehead before leaving the house, she had hugged him, but she hadn't said goodbye, she hadn't been expecting him not to be there once she got home. He had _always_ been there. He was _always_ there.

"Look," Regina said, interrupting the woman's thoughts as she switched to the frontal camera. "I know this is a rather unusual situation, but I can assure you that your son is in good hands." She continued, "I know that's usually the first line a villain says in a movie, but hey, I am sitting here, on my pajamas - looking oh so dangerous, by the way - just as astonished as you probably are with this whole thing." She looked directly into the camera. "I just simply opened the door. It all happened so fast. Suddenly I was giving him a glass of orange juice and then feeding him my homemade lasagna." Regina smiled softly. "He's a lovely child. Congratulations."

"I... thank you." Emma found herself saying as she stared at the other woman's face. She looked slightly older, her eyes as dark as her hair. Her skin was positively glowing and Emma could almost swear that that was a natural thing and not a consequence of the fireplace that only made the scene seem more inviting. She was wearing black silk pajamas but had what seemed to be a fleece blanked covered in tiny snowflakes on her lap. She looked warm and friendly and welcoming and Emma felt herself relax.

"I am serious about the weather thing, by the way. Trust me, it's going to be insane, and I wouldn't want to put Henry's life at risk."

"I am on my way." Emma heard herself saying before hanging up and putting her seatbelt on.

"What?" Regina asked loudly, feeling a bit taken aback. "Seriously?" She mumbled under her breath as she realized the other woman had hung up on her. "This is going to be interesting. I better text Belle... Gold is going to have a heart attack." She actually smiled at that thought as she put her phone down and walked towards what seemed to have become a pajama party.

"Finally, we were waiting for you to start watching the movie!" Henry said excitingly.

"Don't you even want to know what your mother said?" She asked, taking the seat next to Ruby.

"She's coming."

"Right..."

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Thoughts? Comments? Insults?

Thank you for reading!


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